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Support for Gypsy/Travellers

North Ayrshire Council considers Gypsy/Travellers to be a minority ethnic community, as set out by Scottish Government guidelines.

As a Council, we:

  • recognise Gypsy/Travellers' right to a nomadic life
  • respect that they may wish to maintain a travelling way of life as part of their cultural identity

There should be no discrimination against Gypsy/Travellers because of their way of life or culture.

Redburn Travellers Site

North Ayrshire Council has one official/permanent site at Redburn, Irvine.

There are 16 individual pitches, four of which are ramped accessible with larger shower areas. Every pitch has an amenity block with a kitchen, toilet and shower facilities.

Weekly rent: £99.86 (2023/24)

Council Tax: Band A

The Redburn Site Manager is on site Monday to Friday, to:

  • allocate pitches
  • maintain the waiting list for vacant pitches
  • enforce tenancy conditions
  • monitor the condition of pitches
  • report repairs
  • provide advice and assistance with rent management and welfare benefit applications

The Site Manager liaises with other services including:

  • Housing Benefits
  • DWP
  • Welfare Reform Team
  • Education
  • Economies and Communities
  • Health Visitor
  • Eglinton Medical Practice

Partner agencies hold regular sessions for residents and their families in the Redburn site's Community Room.

Contact the Redburn Site Manager

Redburn Site Manager
Redburn Grove 
Kilwinning Road
Irvine, KA12 8SU
irvinehousing@north-ayrshire.gov.uk

Policy development and working group

For information about policy development and the North Ayrshire Gypsy/ Traveller Working Group, contact:

Irvine Area Housing Manager
Bridgegate House
Irvine
KA12 8BD
irvinehousing@north-ayrshire.gov.uk

Unauthorised encampments

Please see our Policy on Unauthorised Gypsy/Traveller Encampments (PDF, 884kb), which highlights:

  • our response time to encampments (one working day)
  • our duty to support Gypsy/Travellers (education, social care, health care, etc)
  • responsibilities of Gypsy/Travellers
  • our responsibilities
  • what we can and can't do about unauthorised sites

To raise an issue regarding Unauthorised Gypsy/Traveller Encampments, please fill out the form below:

Travellers Encampment Enquiry

Encampment Officer

We employ a dedicated Encampment Officer, whose main duties include:

  • identifying welfare and support needs of Gypsy/Travellers
  • engaging with Gypsy/Travellers and agreeing a departure date
  • recording details of each household and providing information on services (housing, homelessness, health, education, Police, Fire Service, recycling)
  • coordinating our response to unauthorised sites
  • dealing with any enquiries and complaints from members of the public, landowners, elected members, MPs and MSPs
  • preparing cases for eviction and referring to Legal Services for action, where appropriate
  • working with and supporting land owners to minimise issues arising from unauthorised sites
  • working with other services to develop technical solutions to secure land deemed unsuitable for unauthorised sites
  • collecting statistical information and producing reports for Senior Management, Communications and other services

The Encampment Officer works with Police Scotland, relying on their support when:

  • visiting new encampments
  • there are concerns about behaviour of groups or individuals.

The Encampment Officer liaises with Streetscene, who provide a waste collection service throughout the term of an encampment and when the travellers leave.

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